Scarelady Z

Time for a new one from me. Yeah, I know...I still have a few unfinished projects, but the Levin is in storage back in the States, my SR20 powered 180SX is back in Japan, and right now, I'm somewhere in between :evillol:

I was sitting in my hotel room, and thinking about new projects...something for me for a change, and not for someone else...and I came to the conclusion that my TC-16 MAII OS Giken powered Fairlady needed a little company :naughty:. I'm a bit of a Z freak and figured that the next logical step would be a S30 Z , and the TC-16's bigger brother...the TC24 BII would be the perfect fit for it's engine bay :smokin:

I have quite a few references for this one...so I started hacking away at some styrene. I started off with a fresh engine block. While Fujimi's L24 is not bad, I wanted something bigger, and a bit more detailed...how about a F54 casting L28 bigger :evillol: All of Nissan's L block 6's look alike, but there are subtle differences between them, and it would drive me crazy if I didn't start off with what I wanted from the beginning. The head, and valve cover followed...here's what I have so far (about 50% complete)

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/dscf6872c201.jpg

...and how she'll fit in the Fujimi S30 Z:

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/dscf6807s201.jpg

That's it for now, thanks for looking.

Jimmy

Wow...you should make a how-to on engine block building. You amaze me every time!

You have a very interesting project with a unique choice of engine. The original OS Giken engines are extremely rare.
Coincidentally, I'm building a few S30 and KPGC10 models for a contest in October, and Z432 and Skylines need a new S20 cam cover because Fujimi part looks too wide. I'm also making a special L24 engine for a custom S30.
Looking forward to your progress.

Thanks Kaho! Its really hard for me to post up a how-to because I fabricate each and every block differently. I build through trial and error...I fact, this block is version 3. The two before this one didn't make the grade, so they were scrapped...just like I did when I was fabricating my SR20 block. I try not to settle for good enough :smokin:

Hiro...yeah the Fujimi S20 is a big letdown...Tamiya's version is so much better. Good luck with the fabrication. Also remember that hte S30's S20 engine has a mid-rear sumped oil pan, and not a front one like the hakosuka's...a detail that Fujimi compensated with by making an extra front cross member in their 432 kit so the front sump oil pan would work. You could modify the L24 oil pan that's already included to fit the S20's block :2cents:

I also have a couple of more custom Lblock heads to make: a LY28 head and valve cover, and a custom one off head and valve cover made to resemble a LY28 that I got from a Japanese blog site.

Jimmy

Beauty, looking forward for more progress!!

Thanks!

Time for a bit of an update from me. I took a break from the engine and started to focus on the engine bay. As you guys know...I'm up for a challenge, and Fujimi gave me a bit of a fight on this one :banghead: It took a lot of experimental cuts, and at one point, I almost gave up after making a few bad cuts. So I slept on it and re-attacked it the next day...reconstructing some parts that I had destroyed the day before :banghead: Here's how she turned out (about 50% complete):

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4154/img2012082016860.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7661/img2012082040885.jpg

I cut away about 50% of the kit's wheel well detail, and added in the S30 unique angled, split interior side detail, and built up a corrected shock tower detail. I'm not gonna mess too much with the kit's suspension, so I'll keep the original strut mounting points, and cover it up with the rest of the engine bay structural components.

Now...she's really starting to look like a proper S30 engine bay :evillol:

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/673/img2012082758944.jpg

Now, off to finish the bay...

Jimmy

THIS guy! I can't even get a primer coat applied to a body and he's making full-on engines!! I LOVE it!!! :runaround::smokin:

I think the engine is the coolest part and most important part of a model. Looking great by the way! Keep it up.

Thanks guys.

This one will be put on hold because my body developed stress cracks from constant removal, and installation. I prepared a crack, but it wouldn't hold up. I also found 2 others that were about ready to break. Now, I have to wait until I get a replacement body.

Time to an update. I finished fabricating the engine bay and got it shot in primer. Luckily, I only have to fix few flaws.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0777.jpghttp://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0778.jpghttp://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0775.jpg

I've already seen a few details I omitted, but I'm going to let them slide. I've got about 8 more of these kits to build, so plenty of opportunities to make amends ;)

Thanks for looking!

Jimmy

Great to see you back. Looking forward to your 180SX as well.

Sweet!

As usual, gorgeous workmanship. I really like the style and overall look at which you make your parts.

wow, blast from the past!

Car looks great! I recognize a lot of OG names in this thread.

Very nice on bay!

now thats a lesson on how to do the engine bay!

awesome!

i'm working on the same one (fujimi 240z) as we speak so ive picked up a couple things i should do with mine so thanks for posting.
i did my engine may similar to yours but much more simplified, i might need to revisit and improve it further, you have inspired me!

oh and awesome work on the engine too.
just out of interest how different was the L28 that you ended up with compared to the L24 by fujimi, any chance of comparison pictures??:cool:

keep the updates coming

how will you do the hood hinges?
ive seen a few done on here in other WIP's but im not convinced they will be up to your standard.

Thanks guys for the overwhelming responses! :D

GTR...the external differences between the L24, L26, and L28 blocks are very minor. Most people overlook those differences, but I'm one of those people that cannot. I had my heart set on a L28, so I made a L28 ;). I'm sorry that I don't have the original engine as I gave it away years ago.

I'm not a wire and tube kind of guy when it comes to hinges...never have been ;). I'm currently making a set that resembles the real hinges. I do not have the resources to fabricate a fully functioning set of linkages, so I'm making hinges that will be functional and I hope, keep the spirit of the factory look...fingers crossed! I'm currently working on the hood, and underhood bracing, so there will be an update soon.

I moved my focus to the hood. Im not a fan of wire and tube hinges. Fully folding hinge mechanisms would be nearly impossible for me to make in that scale, so I fabricated a set of hinges and under hood bracing that resembles what they look like on the real car.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0790_1.jpg

I devised a track system so the hood would lift straight up and hinge forward when the hood was raised.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0787.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0783.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/CrewDawg15/Scarelady%20Z/IMAG0782.jpg

I still have some fine tuning to do, so more to come.

Jimmy

i like your idea!